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07.17.14

Putin: Washington Is ‘Bullying’

Alexei Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti, via Reuters

Add Vladimir Putin to the list of public figures ready to fight bullying. On Thursday, the Russian president lashed out at President Obama’s new sanctions for his actions in Ukraine and called them “bullying.” The sanctions hit Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil company. Putin declared that “unfortunately, those who plan foreign-policy actions in the United States—this is not a recent observation but one pertaining to the last 10-15 years—are conducting an aggressive foreign policy and, in my view, a rather unprofessional one, because whatever they do, there are problems everywhere.” Putin pointed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Egypt to make his argument. He also claimed the sanctions are “driving into a corner” relations between Russia and the U.S.